And Finally by Henry Marsh review – from doctor to patient
Fearlessly frank and endearingly geeky reflections on life and death by a neurosurgeon diagnosed with cancer
Outside, the Sky Is Blue by Christina Patterson review – faith, hope and trauma
A golden childhood is followed by family tragedies – but resilience and understanding triumph in this powerful memoir
Hybrid Humans by Harry Parker review – man and machine in harmony
An ex-soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan examines the implications of advances in medical technology with intelligence and humanity
Outside the Sky Is Blue review – the triumph of hope against the odds
Christina Patterson’s family memoir is crammed with challenges, setbacks, illness and death, and yet remains a wonderfully uplifting read
What I Wish People Knew About Dementia by Wendy Mitchell review – a book of hope
Wendy Mitchell’s good-humoured practical guide to living with dementia has a deeper, more existential message for all of us: connect, forgive, accept and live
Sweat by Bill Hayes review – a history of the physical that gets personal
An all-encompassing book about bodies and exercise through the ages that leaves you hungry for more
Smile by Sarah Ruhl review – what if you could no longer look happy?
Robbed of her smile by Bell’s palsy, the playwright is forced to confront difficult truths in this moving and subtle memoir
Nonfiction to look out for in 2022
From studies of grief to memoirs from Melvyn Bragg and Jarvis Cocker, along with Norman Scott’s account of a very English scandal, here are the titles coming your way next year
Jimmy Carr on booze, taxes and being a virgin at 26: ‘Do I sound like an incel elder?’
The controversial comic’s new book is a surprising mix of memoir and self-help. Has having a baby softened his edges? He talks about depression, anxiety, punching down and his friend Sean Lock
In brief: The Hummingbird; 34 Patients; Kant’s Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write
A deliciously playful Italian family saga; a doctor’s telling insights into his work; and Claire Messud’s masterly story of her life